1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a firearm target training device, a target system, and a method of using a target system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Target systems are used to improve shooting skills. Target systems are located predominantly on static shooting ranges, but can also be setup in arenas, simulators or “shooting houses” where a specially designed bunker can be used to present structure clearing and securing scenarios. Shooting ranges typically have indoor and outdoor shooting lanes where shooters will be provided with a lane and will shoot at a target positioned at the end of their lane while other shooters do the same in adjacent lanes. Most shooting practice at standard ranges (e.g. not at particularly long ranges) will utilize a paper target as this allows for a user to shoot at the target and then retrieve the target to both determine the accuracy of their shooting, and to keep records of their performance in a particular event or over time.
A shooting range typically offers a customer a variety of weapons and ammunition to use for shooting at the targets. Often, a customer will bring a personal weapon and ammunition for shooting. Because shooting ranges are generally built to accommodate many shooters at the same time using a variety of firearms, ammunition, loading systems, and clip sizes, the paper targets are typically fixed to a rail. The user will affix the target to the rail while standing in their shooting position and then activate the rail to carry the target downrange. This allows each shooter to operate according to their own timing, ammunition expenditure, etc. and replace targets without the need for the shooter to actually go downrange. Because no shooter ever goes downrange while at the range (unless there is a problem), there is no need for shooters to wait on each other to affix and use their targets. Instead, the downrange area is always clear of people and there is improved safety and efficiency. During the target shooting session, the shooter aims and fires at the downrange target. After the shooter expends a desired number of rounds, the shooter can return the target via the same rail and take down the target to see where the target was hit. They can then replace it with another target, if desired, and repeat.
The problem with current target systems found on shooting ranges is that they do not provide the shooter with an interactive and individualized shooting experience. The current target systems are built on platforms that prevent the shooter from engaging in many challenging and exciting shooting exercises where targets move because the targets are generally in fixed position due to the limitations of the transport rail and shooting lane. The fixed position of the targets prevents the shooter from improving skills for shooting at a moving target. As many forms of shooting skills (including those for, hunting, self-defense, policing, and military activities) involve ultimately training to shoot at a moving target, this limits the effectiveness of training a shooting range can offer.
For many types of shooting practice this is fine as necessary skills are still practiced. Static ranges allow one to improve one's aiming and dialing in of sights, handling of a firearm of a particular type, and comfort level with the gun's particular behavior (such as the level of recoil for different ammunition types) when it is fired. At the same time, however, static shooting targets can often not provide for any kind of simulated scenarios where the firearm may be used. These scenarios can range from self-defense training and concealed carry training for civilians to police and military hostage and combat situations which are inherently highly dynamic and variable. Further, there is also an enjoyment factor in participating in shooting scenarios even though they may likely never be encountered. For example, there is an entertainment value to getting to shoot “zombies” with an actual firearm in a simulated fantasy setting.
To try and create additional shooting scenarios for entertainment and training purposes, targets are often positioned inside shooting houses or other simulated buildings. These locations provide for what is essentially a specialized building or location that the shooter can move through where they can be presented with a variety of static and dynamic targets. Targets (which are often still paper but can also be mannequins or the like) may move into or out of cover or sightlines, or may be turned to suddenly face a shooter providing a reveal and hide scenario where shooting speed and correct reaction to a particular presentation can be just as important as shooting accuracy.
While these houses can provide for valuable simulations, they often have a similar problem. In order to provide the pneumatic controllers necessary to allow the paper targets to move or rotate, the targets can only be placed in a limited number of possible locations which are built into the structure and these locations can rapidly be learned by a trainee having gone through the shooting house a couple of times. This can give the shooter an unintended edge in the scenario which harms their ability to learn from their performance and to be accurately graded on their performance. Further, while some of these systems can also be used to provide some dynamics to a shooting range (for example by providing turning targets), because of the limitations of traditional shooting range infrastructure, movement is still generally heavily constrained and is generally limited to only a single turn or pop up motion with static characteristics, or a fixed linear motion which is also readily learned.
Another problem with traditional systems regardless of position is that they are often highly limited in their movement positions. For example, for rotating targets, there are generally only two positions, edge on (or hidden) and face on (or target). While some targets can present targets which are to be shot, and other targets which are not to be shot at to be to improve the scenario (e.g. four targets may simultaneously turn and two are to be shot at while two are to be avoided), once the target has been revealed, the shooter can then move on, and there is no possibility of the target changing. This is exacerbated because the targets often operate on a hard wired pattern where they rotate or move according to a fixed scenario regardless of the position of the shooter, or anyone else, in the scenario.